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Hello , I prepare a travel in your country for september. Can you help me to have a good treap. I want to stay 15 days , and it's give probably this
Day 1 to ? Seattle ( I know it's Washington state) : How many time for see this town.
then Seattle / Astoria
Astoria / Florence
Florence/Crescent City
Crescent City/ Grant Pass
Grant Pass / Gold Hill / Bend
Bend / Painted Hills Mitchell / Salem
Salem / Portland
Portland / Seattle
J 15 departure
Between painted hills mitchel and Portland what' road is the best go to Salem or by the 26 ( fossile).
If you have good hotel in this country. Thanks for your help
Here is what I wrote to a similar inquiry a couple of years ago (http://www.hamell.net/2010/08/nickel-driving-tour-of-oregon/ - broken link).
"Yeah, your itinerary is a bit backwards up in my opinion.
I would fly into Portland, drive to the Coast to Astoria, then drive south. Stay the night in Newport, Tillamook or Lincoln City. Tillamook has the Cheese Factory and the Air Museum. Newport has a couple of light houses, an awesome bridge, and an old town shopping district that has gone too touristy in my opinion.
Lincoln City and Newport both have nice beaches, I think that Lincoln City has slightly better food overall (Puerto Vallarta Mexican is our choice.) They also have a Casino, a couple of kite shops, and lots of antique stores. One of my favorite hotels is there (Dog Friendly) the Looking Glass Inn. It’s right on the bay, right across from Mo’s Seafood (local chain up and down the coast that supposedly serves great clam chowder) and right across the bay within viewing distance lives a group of sea lions who like to sleep on the beach.
Keep driving south until Florence, Reedsport, or Coos Bay/North Bend and stay the night. Florence has Sea Lion Caves and a historic Down Town area with several great places to eat. I recommend the Lighthouse Inn on the south side of town. It’s a historic hotel that has been taken care of quite well. The hotel also has a cafe that is vegan/vegetarian/natural food friendly and is quite good even for us meat eaters.
I can not comment much on Reedsport for the simple fact that I have relatives just outside Coos Bay and have only driven through or stopped to eat. I like Winchester Bay though. The beach is usually fairly deserted, and it’s fun to watch the fishing boats.
Coos Bay/North Bend are nice towns, but they’re lumber towns that depended heavily on being a shipping port. Both have suffered greatly in the last twenty years. In Coos Bay one of the old lumber mills has been turned into a casino. Near by Bandon has a nice light house, an animal park and a bunch of tourist shops in the old town. There is also near the animal park a local company that sells home made jams and jellies that I will drive out of my way to visit.
Drive east from one of these towns towards I-5, then head to Medford. I’ve driven east from each and they’re all very scenic drives. If you end up near Roseburg, go to Wildlife Safari.
From Medford take 62 (Crater Lake Highway) directly to Crater Lake, or 140 – Lake of the Woods Highway to Klamath Falls.
You can find a place to stay in Klamath Falls, but there are limited camping spots at Crater Lake and even fewer rooms. Klamath Falls has a nice historic downtown area. There is a bakery/cafe near the history museum and the train station which is great for breakfast.
From either place you’ll want to head North to Bend.
In Bend you’ve got the Oregon High Desert Museum and Petersen’s Rock Garden. I highly recommend both, although the Rock Garden has seen better days it’s still worth the small detour. Newberry Crater is interesting, as are the multitude of lava caves, the Lava Cast Forest, and the general high desert ambiance. Bend has seen a huge population explosion in the last ten years which has brought a lot of new money in to town. There are several fine dining establishments, dance clubs and upscale bars in the “old downtown” area, and in the newer westside.
Go North from Bend then take highway 126 (Ochoco Highway) at Redmond east towards Prineville. Keep heading east towards Mitchel and be sure to stop at the painted hills. Keep heading east towards Dayville/John Day. Stay in either town, but Dayville has a decent cheap hotel on the left. There are two small cafes in town, and a couple more in John Day.
This leg of the trip will be a bit long, but I think worth the scenery. Mitchell is a nice very small old historic frontier town. Last time I drove through it was about midnight, so I was not able to see what might have weathered the economy, but there use to be a couple of antique shops, a historic hotel, a historic saloon and a bear in a cage on the edge of town.
John Day has a few history museums, including one dedicated to the Chinese Laborers which I highly recommend. From Mt. Vernon (in between John Day and Mitchell, drive north to Pendleton on Highway 395. That will put you back on the Columbia River.
I would love to visit Pendleton longer. There is a new history museum that I’ve been wanting to go to, and there is an actual underground city built by the Chinese during the late 1800′s that has recently been opened to the public.
From there, head west back towards Portland. Stop at the Maryhill Art Museum and “Stonghenge”. Spend the night in The Dalles, visit the Dam and the Fort Dalles museum.
Keep heading west, if you’re here in September-November, I’d take the Fruit Loop Tour in Hood River, and/or see if you can take the dinner train on the.
From there, be sure to take the Old Columbia River Highway and visit Multnomah Falls. If you’re into hiking the view from the top is very nice. While on the old highway, you’ll come across the historic Vista House which is worth the stop.
At this point you’re only 20 miles from Portland. This whole trip should be about 10-14 days and roughly 1200 miles if I’m adding right."
Thanks for your aswer.
The fact is that they are not directe fly between my town and Portland. Each time I need to make a stop by seattle or other town , and the price is " hot". Other think , if I arrive at Seattle , I hope to see a NFL match ( if the Seahawk starte the regular season at home).
North Bend/Coos Bay - Winchester Bay/Reedsport - South end of FLorence -- If You hear buzzing, that's the ATVs/4-Wheelers riding the Dunes. Worth checking out. Have a fun and safe trip!
Oregon is the 9th largest state in the US - about half the size of France. While two weeks is a nice length of time for a vacation, seeing Oregon (and Seattle) in 15 days means you will barely be able to stop and smell the roses in Portland, taste the wine in the Willamette Valley, get your toes wet in the cold Pacific or hike the beautiful wilderness of the Cascades. To start, you will probably need two nights in Seattle: one night to recover from your flight and one full day to see a little of Seattle. You will also probably need one day there before you return to La Belle France, so you'll have about 12 days in Oregon which is a nice amount of time but you indicate you want to see quite a lot in that time, so you will be driving a lot. There are many great hotels and bed and breakfasts (table d'hote) in Oregon - what towns did you think you would want to stay in so people can suggest some nice places to stay?
I must agree with Bendite. Trying to see all those places in two weeks will only have you heading back home after 15 days with a major headache and memories of driving long stretches of roads and small highways.
I'd spent a few days in Seattle - it's a fun town and you won't run out of things to do. We always like to visit the Seattle Troll while we are in Seattle, and you should do the space needle if it's a clear day. But we like the tower at Volunteer Park even more than we do the Space Needle, you should check that out!
Then head down to Portland and spend maybe two days there. Don't miss Lan Su Gardens and tea house - don't worry it's really cool! Even my husband and teenage son loves it! - and also be sure to go to the big Powell's books on Burnside.
Then from Portland drive the very pretty drive to Astoria.... stay the night there, then head down the coast. Try out the Rogue Ale Public House while you're there... drinks and food... Rogue Ale Public House - Astoria, OR
You'll want to walk and climb and hike and explore on the coast. Bring boots, long pants, jackets, sweaters, extra socks, etc. Even in summer it can be quite cold - but always beautiful!
There are yurts, hotels, resorts, Bed & Breakfasts, etc. that you can stay in on the coast. I've always wanted to stay here, but haven't yet: The Rooms - Sylvia Beach Hotel
This Yachats Inn Luxury Kitchen Suites are nice, we have stayed here (make sure you book a Luxury Kitchen Suite - they are nice. The original suites or rooms are old and I don't recommend those): Oregon Coast Motel Lodging, the Yachats Inn
There are several places where you can rent what you need to have fun on the dunes. Our boys like dune boarding - like snowboarding but on the sandy dunes.
From Florence, go east on 12 to Eugene. Stay the night in Eugene, maybe try the new Inn at the 5th Street Market. It's brand new and supposed to be really cool. Boutique Hotel in Eugene | Luxury Eugene Hotel | Inn at the 5th Or try the Campbell House The Campbell House, A City Inn Bed and Breakfast located in beautiful Eugene, Oregon (http://www.campbellhouse.com/main/ - broken link)
Eugene is a fun and quirky little town (it's where we live) but you won't be able to see it in one day.... if you like hiking... and the weather is nice... hike up Spencer's Butte before you leave town. Spencer Butte : Eugene Oregon : Lane County
Eugene also has some really great little art museums and glassblowing studios and a microbreweries and vineyards...
From Eugene it's about a 5 hour drive up I-5 to get back to Seattle. Depending on how bad traffic is in the Tacoma/Seattle area it might take a bit longer.
I think this would be a more workable itinerary... it gives you a bit of room to wriggle... you don't want to rush your way through this very beautiful and sometimes odd part of the U.S.
Thanks.
the town I stop , for the moment , are Seattle , Astoria , Florence ,Crescent City, Grant Pass ( to see the seqoia), Bend and I don't know how to go to Portland after the painted Hill.
I would like to see the Vortex of Oregon : is it interresting to make road for seeing this.
After the Painted Hills, you can reverse your route back to Bend and drive North on Highway 26 directly to Portland. Or you can go about six miles east of the Painted Hills, and just before the Ghost Town of Mitchell, head north on highway 207. Be sure to watch out as you'll pass the ghost towns of Waldron (a school house sitting in a field, )
and Richmond. You'll take the next right to get to Richmond, it's about 1/2 mile off the 207.
From 207 you'll want to turn left towards Fossil on the John Day/Highway 19 road. There should be a sign there. Be sure to take your time along the John Day Highway, it is absolutely gorgeous through there.
In Fossil, I highly recommend the Bridge Creek Flora Inn, although recent reviews have been less then stellar. Either way, be sure to get up early in the morning and watch deer wander throughout town. You can also go up to the grade school and actually dig for fossils behind the school. They ask for a donation if you find anything though.
You can keep heading north on the John Day Highway, and will eventually hit Highway 84. From there, just drive west and you'll be back in Portland. If you have the time, I suggest you head West directly from Fossil on Highway 18, you'll pass through additional ghost towns like Clarno, Antelope (former home of the Rajneesh,) and Shaniko which is a living museum Ghost Town.
From there you'll head north on Highway 97, to 84 and then west to Portland.
I would skip Portland. When you are ready to leave Seattle, rent a car and take a ferry across the Puget Sound to Bremerton or one of the smaller towns on the Olympic Peninsula, drive north around the Olympics and head south to Astoria on hwy 101. That puts you near and through one of the most magnificent rain forests on the North American continent. You will never see anything like it anywhere else in the world. There is a bridge across the Columbia at Astoria.
Between Canon Beach and Tillamook is Oswald West State Park. It deserves a full day. You can hike about 400m to the beach, there are hiking trails to the point of Cape Falcon to the North, and hiking trails to the top of Neahkahnie Mountain to the south. The vista from the top of Neahkahnie on a clear day is a sight that will stay with you for the rest of your life.
The ocean will be colder than you expect. We have no gulf stream to warm things like Europe. The Oregon Coast is often cold, windy, foggy or rainy, though late summer and early autumn are the best possible times to find good weather.
The entire Oregon Coast is public access. There are waysides and attractions every few miles. One of my favorite tide pool spots is Cape Perpetua, south of Yachats. State parks require a parking pass, but you can buy one pass that is good all day, or for a week at various parks.
To see the Redwoods you will have to go into California to Crescent City. The coastal redwoods are not the same as the Sequoias, but they are plenty big. Just outside Crescent City there are some magnificent redwood reserves. The local people will be glad to give you directions to the best.
Heading toward Grants Pass on Hwy. 199 you will pass the Oregon Caves, a small system of caves that have been carved by water out of a huge marble monolith. They are very pretty.
From Grants Pass or Medford, go to Crater Lake National Park. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in North America, and one of the highest, in the crater of a large extinct volcano. It is one of the seven wonders of the natural world. You should not miss it.
At this point you are one full day's drive from Seattle, so you need to decide if you have time to do the John Day Fossil Beds, Painted Hills and Columbia River Gorge. If you are short on time, take the North Entrance from Crater Lake and drive down Hwy 138 to Interstate 5 and head north.
If you have more time, drive north to Redmond, jog east and catch Hwy 26 at Prineville. Once you see the Painted hills you may want to look at the visitor center at the Sheep Rock unit a few miles away. You are on the verge of a grand adventure. Fill your tank, make sure the spare tire has plenty of air, buy a couple large jugs of drinking water, and strike north through Wheeler County. It's one of the least populated areas in North America. You won't find anything like it in Europe. Your destination is the Columbia River, where you will head downstream to Portland. Most of the way is freeway, which is unfortunate, but sections of the old US Hwy 30 have been restored in the Columbia Gorge. Seek them out.
September 3 is Labor Day, a national holiday and the traditional end of the tourist season, since most schools start classes the next day. You will still need hotel reservations, particularly on weekends, but you will be able to just call ahead a day in advance rather than making reservations far in advance. This will let you be flexible in your travel plans. If you find one place you really enjoy, that is better than driving past six things you would have enjoyed if you had taken the time. The exception is Crater Lake Lodge. If you want to spend the night there, try to make reservations now. They may already be booked for September.
Enjoy your trip. The Pacific Northwest has nothing to match Europe's cities, but our natural wonders are beyond compare.
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